- Aiming (shooting accurateness) — Determine if you are left or right eye dominant. Put both hands out in front of your face. Cross one thumb over the other in a horizontal position. With the forefingers touching and you are looking thru a triangle, find a small object on a wall 8’ to 16’ away. When seeing the object with both eyes open, close the left eye. If the object moves out of view, you are left eye dominant. To confirm, repeat the process by closing only the right eye. If the object is still in the triangle, you are left eye dominant.
- Stance — The position of the body of the shooter when addressing the ball. Face the table with both feet the same distance from the rail. *Drop your right foot back about the same distance of a gap as your shoulder width, and turn the toe of your right foot about 30 degrees the right. Bend forward at the hips, bending your left leg slightly, but keep your right leg straight. Then turn your left foot slightly to the right, and you will be comfortable as the center of gravity shifts forward. Your weight should be evenly distributed on both feet. Too much shifting of weight from one leg to another will cause unwanted muscle strain. Correct balance will enable your right arm to swing freely, close to your side. Position your hand and cue into the bridge best suited for the shot. Bend forward until your head is fairly low over the cue, sighting down over the target. DO NOT crouch. DO NOT spreadeagle. DO NOT position your head too low or too high. Pull the cue up to your face to insure it is in alignment with your dominant eye (edge of the jawbone) and then lower the cue back to the desired angle. *adjust for left handers.
- The Hand Bridge (closed) — The palm rests on the table. The thumb overlaps the forefinger. Practice moving the cue shaft thru the channel so that it moves smoothly with no pulling against flesh. You can raise or lower the bridge by adjusting your last three fingers. (open) — When shooting over a ball use a “V” bridge over the thumb and forefinger to get proper elevation.
- Mechanical Bridge — For long shots. Lay it flat on the table if possible and hold it in place with the free hand. Grip the pool cue stick between the thumb and index finger. Keep the cue slightly elevated and the arm parallel to the table. Follow thru with the stroke, remove the cue stick first, then the bridge, being careful not come into contact with other balls.
- The Grip — Grip the cue firmly, yet lightly with your thumb, index finger, and middle fingers. The cue should be balanced. Find the fulcrum by balancing the cue on one finger, then position your hand 4”-7” behind the balance point, keeping the grip straight down. Visualize & memorize this point (mark with a small piece of silver duct tape or a rubber band for a period of time if necessary). The cue will become an unconscious extension of your dominant eye, hand, arm, and brain.
- The Stroke — The pendulum, is the swing of your arm from your elbow, close to your side. The motion is partly from your wrist and mostly in the arm, in a fixed rhythm with the cue, increasing speed until contact, and with follow-thru of 4” to 8” until it comes to a natural stop, with no pulling back on the cue. Too long of a backswing may make the cue tip swerve. Too short of a backswing will not have sufficient effortless follow-thru. Only the elbow should be moving the cue. To get more power for long draw shots, lengthen the distance between the hand bridge and the cue tip.
- The shot should not be taken until many various factors have been considered and decided upon ie: what ball to shoot, to what pocket or location, combinations, rails, distance, English to be applied, if any, location of the cue ball after the shot, re-location of other balls. After considering all of these factors and you are ready to execute the shot, relax and CONCENTRATE ON ONLY ONE THING — SPEED.
Prepared by Byron Cook
6/30/25 Rev. 8/31/25